


A Pain in the Back

by misura



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: M/M, Morning After, Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27329881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "Your back is still giving you trouble, isn't it?" Jane asks.
Relationships: Kimball Cho/Patrick Jane
Comments: 3
Kudos: 73





	A Pain in the Back

"Your back is still giving you trouble, isn't it?" Jane asks. "A lot more than you'd expected."

Cho can list at least ten times during the past day when even someone less observant than Jane could have noticed that. He supposes it shows some self-restraint on Jane's part that Cho can't also recall at least ten times when Jane offered to help.

"It still hurts, if that's what you mean. A lot," he adds, because honesty's always a good policy.

Jane nods as if this confirms his guesses. Cho slowly starts counting - at 'three', Jane says, "You know, I could help you with that."

"I know." Cho resumes getting dressed. By way of shutting down the conversation, he says, "Thanks," because whatever else you can say about Jane, in this instance, Cho knows he means well.

"Rather rely on these, eh?" Jane says, holding up a familiar bottle of pills. It makes a cheery sound when Jane shakes it. "You know it's not a good idea to become dependent on this kind of medication."

Cho meets Jane's gaze mostly to show he can. "I know." He holds out his hand.

Jane shrugs and lets him have the bottle back. "Just saying. I can help with those, too."

"Yes. You're very helpful," Cho says, collecting his car keys.

"Eh," Jane says. "Can't be very helpful when people keep turning down my help."

Cho considers leaving things there. It feels a bit open-ended, though, like they're going to be at the office later today and Jane's going to continue this conversation because he's bored or wants to get Rigsby's opinion or put on a little play for a suspect or something.

"Didn't turn down the invitation for dinner last night."

"That's right, you didn't." Jane smiles. "Though I think that was more helpful to me than it was to you. Been a while since I cooked for someone else. That was fun."

"Sex wasn't bad either," Cho says, because there's no way Jane is going to be discreet about this.

Cho figures Lisbon's going to be mostly sympathetic, Van Pelt half-happy and half-concerned and Rigsby all the way curious. Jane can field the questions, as far as Cho is concerned.

"Be still, my beating heart." Jane grins. "It wasn't, was it? Mind, I'm not sure if your back agrees."

"Why don't you let me worry about my back, and you worry about getting ready in time?"

Jane raises his hands. "I'm moving, I'm moving."

"If you're that worried about my back, I'm sure we can work something out," Cho says.

Jane waggles his eyebrows. "Kinky."

"I meant, we can stop having sex." Cho supposes he'd miss it, but he's been getting by fine without having sex with Jane before. There's no reason he can't go back to doing that, especially if it means getting Jane off of his back. So to speak.

"No, you didn't," Jane says. No eyebrow waggling this time, and yet somehow Cho gets this sudden image of one way they might have sex without straining Cho's back. Then another, and another, until he forces himself to stop.

"I did, actually," Cho says. "You want to discuss other options, I'm open to that. You ready?"

Jane sighs. "What happened to romance? Yes, I'm ready. And yes, I'd love to take you up on an invitation to come to dinner again this evening. You do the cooking this time, and I'll do the washing up after, how's that?"

"Sounds good," Cho says.

"Fair warning. Third date, we're going to talk about your back again," Jane says.

That doesn't sound as good, but Cho figures that he can live with it. He's not as sure about his ability to live with Jane, but he figures he's got at least 48 more hours to figure it out.


End file.
